Lucid Motors could also be experiencing somewhat monetary hassle these days, however the know-how that underpins its electrical automobiles is among the finest—if not the most effective—within the trade. Not solely is the automaker good at growing electrical car drivetrains, however it’s also extraordinarily proficient at explaining them. The corporate has posted tech talks to its YouTube channel hosted by high-level executives, detailing distinctive options of Lucid automobiles and different normal ideas regarding electrical motors, inverters, batteries, and extra. Its newest video about inverters, often known as motor controllers, is especially enlightening.
Hosted by the automaker’s chief engineer, Eric Bach, the tech speak explains how electrical car inverters work on a granular degree. It is attention-grabbing each how easy these units are conceptually, no less than when it comes to the issues they clear up, but in addition how Lucid has made its personal inverter further environment friendly.
Inverters are finest defined by the video, however in a nutshell, they take DC energy from the battery, which successfully has no waveform on the subject of transmitted voltage, and rework it into three-phase sinusoidal AC, which is what three-phase electrical motors function on. Three-phase electrical motors are far and away the commonest motors in electrical automobiles. They’re known as three-phase motors as a result of they’ve three teams of electromagnetic stator coils that get powered up and down in a exact method to spin the rotor, which is commonly filled with everlasting magnets.
That is defined in granular phrases, utilizing objects like a compass and easy magnets. Finally, it builds as much as Lucid’s precise drive unit, which is fascinating in its personal proper. If you happen to’re curious, the automaker additionally has a video on the drive unit itself outdoors of the inverter, which is equally attention-grabbing and informative. It is over an hour lengthy and hosted by the automaker’s CEO and CTO, Peter Rawlinson.
The straightforward strategies Lucid makes use of to elucidate how an EV works are very interesting. Its battery video, additionally hosted by Rawlinson, can also be very eye-opening, though it should be stated that the superior state of Lucid’s know-how typically makes that includes its {hardware} a bit complicated. Loads of automakers aren’t working with its degree of technical prowess and due to this fact not doing issues like Lucid is doing them. This may typically make comparisons troublesome to attract, though in lots of movies they’re drawn immediately by the host to make clear why the automaker’s tech is so particular.
No different automotive firm is placing within the effort to elucidate electrical car know-how like Lucid is. It jogs my memory lots of GM’s previous movies from the Nineteen Thirties which clarify automotive ideas like lubrication methods, cooling methods, and the differential clearly and concisely. Lucid has a knack for this type of factor. I hope to see extra movies prefer it not solely from the California firm however from different automakers as nicely.
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